The Daimler Group, more commonly known and referred to as Mercedes Benz, has announced they will no longer be developing fuel cell technology for its passenger vehicles.
So far the only fuel cell vehicle produced by Mercedes Benz was the GLC F-CELL, which was first developed in 2013 in a joint venture with Ford and Nissan (via Automotive News).
One of the key reasons for the decision was the extremely high cost of development and production, cited as being at last twice as expensive as building an equivalent battery electric vehicle (BEV).
Those high costs led to only “a few hundred” GLC F-CELL vehicles being produced. Those vehicles were never available for a regular customer to purchase, but were instead mainly provided to key business partners with fleet vehicles.
Last year Daimler also announced it was also halting investment in internal combustion engine development, and instead focusing their time and money on EV development.
This news comes on the heels just two weeks ago where BMW reaffirmed its commitment to fuel cell technology, with hopes to offer one for consumer use in the next 5-10 years.
